Deer Creek: What A Day That Was: A Review

The July 4th weekend saw 60,000 Deadheads show up at a place that only seats 22,000.  Do the math.  It was high on energy only it was strange and negative energy.  There was a death threat against Jerry and so much traffic and people that it took us 3.5 hours to drive 3 miles to the show.  WTF!!!  Below is a recount of the set lists of this final Deerk Creek show and what the songs sounded like.

 

 

 

Here Comes Sunshine- A rousing show opener that promised a show we wouldn't end up getting. The band had great harmonies on this one.

Walking Blues- I just don't get Bob's blues songs. They aren't particularly good.

Dire Wolf-  Jerry is alive and the "don't murder me" line was eerie considering the threats against his life.

It's All Over Now- A competent yet uninspired performance of this Stones tune.

Broken Arrow- I guess we have to let Phil sing randomly.

Desolation Row*- Starts off great but the crowd of 2000 people crashed the gate thus rendering this concert infamous in Grateful Dead history. Bob Weir looked as if he wanted to kill someone.

Tennessee Jed- Jerry still doing a good job and giving us a good version of a song that was never my favorite.

Let It Grow- Bob sings it well but as if he just wants to get off the stage.

 

SET BREAK:  It was almost 70 minutes long.  The first row was full of FBI agents in tie-dyes.  The house lights were never turned off making this seem more like band practice than a concert.

Scarlet Begonias -> Jerry and the boys finally return to the stage for a good jam on this tune...

Fire on the Mountain- Jerry officially loses it on stage.  He has no clue what he's doing.  He plays only the third verse of the song and starts playing the most off key, sluggish, meandering "music" I have ever heard him play.  This was like a man tripping on LSD having a heart attack. Just plain awful to listen to.  The band tries to wake him up to no success. Phil even stops playing and tosses his hands up in the air.

Victim or the Crime- Bob looks at Jerry during the opening line, "Patience runs out on the junkie." Enough said.

It's All Too Much- It really was all too much.  Vince does a great version of this Beatles cover that I loved hearing at shows.

New Speedway Boogie -> Jerry comes back to life and gives us a rousing rendition of this early Dead tune.

Drums ->Who Cares
Space ->Who Cares

Attics of my Life -> The crowd erupted during the opening notes. I think the band forgot a verse, but no one cared. It sounded beautiful.

Sugar Magnolia- Bob knows how to end a show and this song never disappoints.

E: The Mighty Quinn- The boys played it well but you can tell they wanted to go home. This concert was a loss for us and for them. Although really not badly performed at all.

 

 

After the show everyone was cranky and disappointed. Dis-allusioned is more like it.  The security wouldn't let us leave.  Suddenly a tour bus came barreling down the road and off the property. It was the band.  They wanted to get the fuck out of dodge as quickly as possible and never look back. Funny thing is there is a story in a Dead Bio Book that states the bus got a mile down the road and then stuck in a ditch and a local farmer had to use his tractor to pull the boys out.  I guess their shitty night went on longer than ours.

 

The next night was cancelled.

The Dead never returned to Deer Creek because Jerry died. One suspects they wouldn't have been invited back although they have said Deer Creek was one of their favorite venues to play.

 

Such a shame and probably the most unfortunately memorable Dead Show I ever attended.